BATON ROUGE — U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA) highlighted an investment of $6,806,567 from the Delta Regional Authority (DRA) to spur economic development and improve the quality of life for communities and residents of the Louisiana. The investment will be matched by $9 million in local public investment and will attract an additional $4 million in leveraged private investment (LPI) to Louisiana.
“A huge investment to improve infrastructure and support Louisiana’s workforce,” said Dr. Cassidy. “This is great news for our state and thanks to the bipartisan infrastructure bill, we can expect to see additional funding in the near future.”
The 17 new capital projects will improve water and sewer systems, modernize transportation infrastructure, and support business development and skills training in Louisiana communities. These projects should create or maintain 675 jobs, train 224 people and affect more than 18,000 families.
Funding for these projects is provided through the States Economic Development Assistance Program (SEDAP), which provides direct investment in community and regional projects to support basic public infrastructure, transportation infrastructure, training and education. workforce education and small business development with an emphasis on entrepreneurship, and the Community Infrastructure Fund (CIF), which targets physical infrastructure projects that help build safer and more resilient communities in the delta region. The DRA coordinates directly with the Louisiana State Governor’s Office and its local development districts to implement program funding.
The following projects have been funded by the CIF:
· Cypress Street Drainage Improvements | Monroe, LA: The Ouachita Parish Police Jury will use DRA funds to replace a failing underground drain pipe. This investment should create 15 jobs and maintain 15.
DRA investment: $421,393
Total investment: $468,217
Madison Parish Harbor Road | Tallulah, LA: The Madison Parish Port Commission will use DRA funds to reconstruct and widen approximately 7,500 linear feet of an existing access road to the existing Mississippi River port. This investment should create 11 jobs and maintain 180 jobs.
DRA investment: $1,297,868
Total investment: $1,618,132
· Improvements to the water distribution system | Natchitoches, LA: Sabine Parish Aqueduct District #1 will use DRA funds to expand distribution of Sabine Parish Aqueduct District #1 along Highway 485 and of the Lake Loop in Natchitoches Parish.
DRA investment: $200,000
Total investment: $456,000
· Cypress/Slack Sanitary Sewer Upgrades | West Monroe, LA: The City of West Monroe will use DRA funds to upgrade the sanitary sewer system in the Cypress/Slack Street area to eliminate blockages and overflows. This investment should make it possible to maintain 15 jobs and affect 160 families.
DRA investment: $398,954
Total investment: $529,303
· Reconstruction of the Central Louisiana Regional Port | Alexandria, LA: The Central Louisiana Regional Port will use DRA funds to upgrade and expand existing facilities and infrastructure to support biotechnology research and development and manufacturing of sustainable products, enabling the area of trade. This investment should create 21 jobs, maintain four jobs and affect 21 families.
DRA investment: $1,014,000
Total investment: $3,841,414
Additional capital investment: $4,000,000
· Harahan Catchment Rehabilitation Project | Harahan, LA: The City of Harahan will use DRA funds to rehabilitate approximately 25 manholes/1,360 feet of sewer line along the Wilson/Huntley Street corridor. This investment should make it possible to maintain 258 jobs and affect 2,859 families.
DRA investment: $256,500
Total investment: $331,500
The following projects have been funded by SEDAP:
· Watertight sewage treatment plant | Waterproof, LA: The City of Waterproof will use DRA funds to help keep the city free of standing sewage and clean up the water outlet. This investment should affect 270 families.
DRA investment: $33,815
Total investment: $33,815
· Working sewer lift stations | Ville Platte, LA: The City of Ville Platte will use DRA funds to replace all non-functioning sewage pumping system and sewage treatment plant equipment. This investment should affect 3,461 families.
DRA investment: $307,000
Total investment: $607,000
· Train the trainer; Support from the Louisiana Municipal Association | Monroe, LA: The University of Louisiana Monroe will use DRA funds to continue to identify cohorts in northeast Louisiana whose activities would benefit from the use of unmanned aerial systems in their operations. This investment should make it possible to train 100 people.
DRA investment: $112,575
Total investment: $133,615
· Hudson Shaft Transmission Main | Farmerville, LA: Union Parish Waterworks District No. 1 will use DRA funds to provide well modifications and construction of a transmission line from the district’s Hudson well to the spillway production and treatment facility . This investment should affect 568 families.
DRA investment: $300,000
Total investment: $330,000
· Franklin Medical Center DBA Capacity Expansion | Winnsboro, LA: Franklin Medical Center will use DRA funds to expand critical care, laboratory, and surgery to improve capacity for highly infectious patients, efficient testing, and appropriate spillover for patients with emerging diseases infectious. This investment should create five jobs and maintain five jobs.
DRA investment: $509,000
Total investment: $3,227,929
· New Simsboro Village Water Well | Simsboro, LA: The Village of Simsboro will use DRA funds to provide a new high-capacity water well and associated improvements. This investment should create 13 jobs, maintain 36 jobs and affect 352 families.
DRA investment: $476,673
Total investment: $621,213
· Upgrades to Doyline Village Wastewater Treatment Plant | Doyline, LA: The Village of Doyline will use DRA funds to upgrade its only sewage treatment facility and establish a permanent source of electricity. This investment should affect 325 families.
DRA investment: $447,289
Total investment: $523,289
· Town of Natchitoches – Keyser Avenue Lift Station Renovation | Natchitoches, LA: The City of Natchitoches will use DRA funds to renovate the Keyser Avenue lift station. This investment should create 30 jobs, maintain 20 jobs and affect 6,222 families.
DRA investment: $400,000
Total investment: $465,000
· Acadiana Regional Seafood Hub | Delcambre, LA: The Port District of Twin Parish (Port of Delcambre) will use DRA funds to invest in land purchase, site development, and architectural and engineering costs for the regional fruit center of Acadiana sea. This investment should create 12 jobs and maintain five jobs.
DRA investment: $275,000
Total investment: $1,348,480
· Utility Vehicle Operations Mobile Lab Simulator | Schriever, LA: The Fletcher Technical Community College Foundation will use DRA funds to develop a mobile commercial vehicle operations lab simulator to train the CVO workforce at a faster, more up-to-date pace. This investment should make it possible to train 50 people.
DRA investment: $100,000
Total investment: $110,000
· Rehabilitation of lifting station no. 6 | Farmerville, LA: The City of Farmerville will use DRA funds to repair, rehabilitate and upgrade the Number 6 Sewer Lift Station. This investment is expected to impact 1,222 families.
DRA investment: $256,500
Total investment: $296,500